officers - The Black Vault

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Star-News
1:)~--~~------------~~b~~~~~~~~----------------~~adena, california
, . . puts eating case - ~~ii~ 91
on fast track to COUrt· nue: gNAFA~gTi~~~~T~~G c;~~~
By Janice Luder
Staff Writer
The secret grand jury probe
that Monday began looking into
the actions of Los Angeles Police
Department officers involved in
the beating of Altadena motorist
Rodney G. King may shave
Un Monday, Gibbons said the
film has been shown worldwide,
from viewers. Despite the high
visibility of the case, Gibbons
said the decision to seek grand
juiy indictments wasn't a politi·
cal one.
"Politics has nothing to do
months off the laborious crimi· with it,'' she said. "Obviously,
nal court process. . because of the videotape and
"Because of the public outcry worldwide response, we feel (the
we want to assure people we are grand jury probe) is appropri·
extremely serious about this ate."
case. We want this thing tried Los Angeles Police Chief Dar·
·quickly and we're not just sit· ryl Gates has recommended that
ting on our hands," said Sandi felony charges be filed against a
Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the . sergeant and two officers in·
-District Attorney's Office. volved in the beating. But Gib-
Taking the case straight to the bons said, "We're looking bE;!·.
'Los Angeles County grand jury
1 yonk~ the three offic_ers. We're'
could mean bypassing the snarl . 00 mg ~~ all 15 pollee officers
. . . . al urt mvolved.
o f pre 1 J.I?mary_ munlc~p co Gibbons declined to list spec'ifp~oceedmgs,
a_nd saymg up _to ic felony indictments that could
.nme .~onths t1me, G1bb'?ns sa1d. · be filed against the officers
MU.mCipal court proceedmgs can ~~·~0
include an arraignment and pre-
..._
liminary hearing.
It was Proposition 115, the
speedy trial initiative passed in
June 1990, that paved the way
for such streamlined trials. But
the volatile King case isn't the
:·rrrst or the highest profile issue
handled by the grand jury since
the measwe passed.
Last year, the jury indicted'
Charles H. Keating Jr., for.mer
owner of Irvine-based Lincoln
Savings and Loan: The case in·
volved. a $2.6 billion S&L bail­
·out, the most expensive in U.S.
history. ··
The grand jury was expected
to review the videotaped beating
and evid~~ce tneLAPD gathered
against at least three of its offi·
'·cers.
•
' In the explosive home videotape,
three police officers are
·seen kicking, beating and shock·
ing King, 25, with a stun gun
· t following a March 3 freeway
~chase by the California Highway
•patrol.
· As King begged the meo to
stop, a dozen other officers
watched and failed to intervene.
Meanwhile, a nearby apartment
:resident filmed the early morn­
··~ in~~dent.
·Rodney G. King ·
' ~ti!...· '"';
•. , ·, ·•
.beater'), shocked by pollee· ~- ·.
Character: CIVIL RIGHTS
or
Claasltlcatlon:
Submitting Otnce:
In
Los ~gJJ,i:~
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SERIAUZEP.~oo.-..=- fi!J0.:...----1
MAR 2 0 1991
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